One of the key issues in the Heparin Disaster litigation is whether Baxter and SPL should have taken reasonable steps to insure the safety and purity of the raw materials used in the finished heparin product.

We now know that a test called NMR Spectroscopy can easily distinguish over sufated chondroitin sulfate ("OSCS") contaminated heparin from the real thing. So what is NMR Spectroscopy?

According to Wikipedia:

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, most commonly known as NMR, is the name given to a technique which exploits the magnetic properties of certain nuclei. This phenomenon and its origins are detailed in a separate section on nuclear magnetic resonance. The most important applications for the organic chemist are proton NMR and carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy. In principle, NMR is applicable to any nucleus possessing spin.

Many types of information can be obtained from an NMR spectrum. Much like using infrared spectroscopy to identify functional groups, analysis of a 1D NMR spectrum provides information on the number and type of chemical entities in a molecule.

The impact of NMR spectroscopy on the natural sciences has been substantial. It can, among other things, be used to study mixtures of analytes, to understand dynamic effects such as change in temperature and reaction mechanisms, and is an invaluable tool in understanding protein and nucleic acid structure and function. It can be applied to a wide variety of samples, both in the solution and the solid state.

Over the past 50 years NMR has become the preeminent technique for analysis of organic compounds. Here is a very good explanation (with pictures!) as to how NMR works from an undergraduate level course in Organic Chemistry at Michigan State University:

NMR Spectroscopy

While the science and theory maybe complex to a layman, NMR has been around a long time and is a very common analysis method taught at the undergraduate level. We intend to find out from Baxter and SPL why they failed to use this common test method in the analysis of raw materials from unknown sources before inclusion in such an important and sensitive product as heparin.

We continue to investigate cases from patients or their families around the country who have been killed or injured by this counterfeit product.

Labels: Baxter, Heparin, heparin attorney, Heparin Class Action, heparin lawsuit, heparin lawyer, MDL, MDL; Multi-District Litigation, NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, OSCS, over sulfated chondroitin sulfate